David Lader – July 1, 2012

Thanks for visiting me and these old Warrior’s Dance clips. This second piece is simply a continuation of the first one I posted…

The music playing in the studio is Robert Mirabal’s song entitled “Popay Runner.”  I have been deeply inspired by this piece of music for many years.  It starts out with a mystical, dreamy, and somewhat haunting flute and chanting.  This always gives me an opportunity to start very slowly and get in touch with my breath and my emotions.  It also gives me some time to “connect” with my body in a deep , mindful, thorough, and integrated way…I get a chance to stretch and engage just about every muscle and every bit of connective tissue before the song’s powerful beat kicks in… that beat is a very deep and pervasive pulse, much like that of a pounding heart.  It’s no wonder I’ve stayed with this song for so many years.  In the upcoming production of my new Warrior’s Dance video this fall by Epic Productions, I am grateful that Robert Mirabal has given us permission to use Poppay Runner as our theme music.

Make no mistake, we use hundreds of various musical tracks to create dozens of playlists for all of our classes here in Tucson at Flor De Liz Dance Studio.  I’ve put countless hours into creating these playlists through the years in order to “move” our classes through ninety minute sessions that are genuinely inspiring.  Each class is sort of like a guided, moving meditation…a little spiritual journey.  My intention is to take our students, and myself, through a wide range of emotional experieces as we “brave” our way through some pretty exhausting and physically draining physical engagements.  We often experience joy, pain, love, passion, and sometimes even sadness during a session.  We almost always experience some sort of laughter, levity, and good humor during the same class.

There are so many ways I can try to avoid experiencing the pain of normal, everyday life, whether it be physical or emotional.  There are so many ways I can “numb” my discomfort… When I behave as such, however, I always end up missing out on the beauty, the joy, and the daily blessings as well…I can’t have it both ways.

So it is in our Warrior’s Dance classes…we try to experiece the moment, without regretting the past or fearing the future…it is often an uncomfortable and joyous engagement.  We all leave class in a far better way than when we arrived…Always!

Thanks for stopping by…

Peace  🙂

David M. Lader